Chelsea stars believe Benitez exit is inevitable

Sunday 03 February 2013

Chelsea players believe that manager Rafa Benitez is doomed at the club and his exit from Stamford Bridge is inevitable, according to the Sunday Mirror.

Boss Benitez has allegedly informed Blues players that he will be at the club for the forseeable future but the belief in the dressing room is that owner Roman Abramovich plans to install a full-time replacement in the summer.

Chelsea's poor form continued on Saturday, with a 3-2 defeat at struggling Newcastle United. The loss followed a late capitulation against Reading in midweek, where Benitez's side surrendered a 2-0 lead with five minutes to go to share the poiints in a 2-2 draw.

Having won just one of their last six matches, the pressure seems to be increasing on interim coach Benitez. According to the Sunday Mirror, a Stamford Bridge source said: "There is not a bad feeling among the players towards Rafa, just a ­feeling of the inevitable. Everything is very temporary. What is the point of a player trying to change how they play or do something differently when they don’t think Rafa will be here next season?"

"The players are like anyone else. Of course they are professional and try their best, but they talk about who the next manager might be and what might happen."

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